Improvement in potato-digger



H. P. SMITH.

. Potato Digger.

Nn. 67,076. Patented' July 23, 1867.

Inventor.

Witnesses: @QJ @QM/ W M gdm Mya/f RM. PUDiTD-Ll THO- CQ. N3(V (DSSQRFE'S PRCCESS.)

gleiten tstns ateut @ffice IMPROVEMENT IN POTATO-DIGGER.

@te tlgehule referat tu in 4tipa Entert uteut .mit m ting putzt the smut,

TO ALL WHOM IT MAY`CONCERN:

Be it known that I, HENRY P. SMITH, ofDenton, in the county vof Wayne, and State of Michigan, have invented a new and improved Potato-Digger; and I do hereby declare that lthe following is al full,vclear, and exact description thereof, which will enable those skilled in the art to make anduse the same/reference being had to the accompanying drawings, forming part of this specification, in which- Figure 1 is a vertical detail sectional view of my improved machine, taken through the line ai x, tig. 2.

Figure 2 is a top or plan view of the` same.

Similar letters of reference indicate corresponding parts.

vMy invention has for its object to furnish an improved machine by means of which the potatoes may be easily and rapidly dug and separated from .the dirt that may adhere to'them; and it consists in the construction and arrangement of the forks andV screens; in the combination of the cog-wheels,- one of which is segmentally toothed with the axle and shaft of the machine for the purpose of communicating an intermitting action to said shafts; and in the combination of a cultivator or shovel-plough. with the axle and tongue of the machine, the whole being constructed and arranged as hereinafter more fully described.

A isl the axle upon which the wheels B revolve, and which revolves in bearings in the frame-C. The wheels B, when they advance, are made to carry the axle A with them by thc pawls D attached to said wheels, and which take hold of the ratchet-wheels` E formed upon or atta-shed to the axle A. The pawls D are held down to their work by the springs E, attached to the wheels B, and the free ends of which rest upon the pawls D, as shown in figs. 1 and 2. When moving backward the wheels B' revolve freely upon the axle A. G is a shaft which revolves in bearings in the middle part of the frame C. Through the shaft G are passed radial arms H at right angles to each other, and the ends of each` pair of which are connected bya horizontal bar, I, to which are attached the fork teeth J, the end ones of which are made larger and stronger than the others. The

f teeth J should he made of sucha form thatgas, the `shaft Gr is revolved they will enter the ground a suiiicient d epth to pass under the potatoes and lift them and the dirt that may adhere to them out offthe ground, carry them up, and deposit them in the screens K. The screensK are made semicircular in form, and slope gradually towards one side of the frame C, and the potatoes escape through the spoutL and drop upon the ground at `the side'of the machine, the dirt falling through the hars of the said screens. The end bars of the'screens Kare made substantially in the shape shown in iig. 1,- and their ends are attached to the adjacent cross`bars I.'

The shaft G is supported against the backward pressure While the forks are passing through the ground by the pawl M, which acts upon the teeth of the ratchet-wheel N formed upon or attached to the end ofthe shaft G. The teeth of the ratchet-wheel N are so arranged as to hold the shaft Gr stationary only while the forks are in position to act upon the ground. O is a toothed wheel securely attached to the endof the shaft G, and into the teeth of which mesh the teeth of thesegmentally toothed wheel P, attached to the axle so as to impart an intermitting motion to the fork-shaft G, .the teeth upon the wheel P being so arranged as to allow the shaft G 'to stand stationary for a short time while the fork is moving forward through the ground. R is a frame, the forward end of which is pivoted to the frame C directly above the axle'A, and the Arear end of which is supported upon a caster-wheel, S, as shown in fig. 1. The rear part of the frame C is connected to the frame R by the bars T, which are attached to the frame C, and pass up through keepers attached to the frame R. The bars 'l should have a number ofholes formed through them, so that by the insertion of pins the frame C, and consequently the. forks J, may be supported in such a position that the said forks may run at any desired depth in the ground. U is a lever, the rear end of which is connected to the rear part ofthe frame C bythe connecting-rodi', the middle part of which is pivoted to a suitable support, W, attached to the-frame R,and the forward end of which extends `forward into such a position that it can be reach-ed and operated by the driver from his seat for the purpose of raising the fork-teeth away from the ground to pass over obstructions, 0r for convenience in moving the machine from place to place. X is the cultivator frame, the rear end of which rests against the axle A, to which it is secured by the straps :el which pass around the said axle, as shown in figs. 1

:and 2. 9:2 are the shovels, the standards x3 of which are adjustably secured to the frame X so that they may be adjusted to run ut any desired depth in the ground to loosen it and raise the potatoes so that they may be more easily taken up by the forks. Y is the tongue which is hinged or pivoted to the forward end of the culti4 -c'nons vater frame X, so that should the ploughs strike an obstructionA the frame A may give or iy up to prevent the machine from being broken. Z is the di'ive1"s,seat, the standard oi' which is attached to the central beam of the oultivator frame.

I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent-A 1. The forks J and screens K, constructed and arranged ns heroin described, in combinziton with the shut G, as and for the purpose set forth.

2. The combination of the cog-Wheel 0 and sgmentally toothed cog-wheel I with each other and with the shaft G and axle A, substantially nsherein shown and described, for the purpose of communicating :in intermitting motion to the fork-shaft Gr, as set forth;

3. The combination of a. cultivntor or shovel-plough, X, with the axle A and tongue Y, substantially as herein shown and described and for the purpose set forth. i

The above specification of my invention signed by me this 29th day of April, 1867.

' HENRY D. SMITH.

Witnesses H. T. EBERLE, AMBROSE S. MALLERY. 

